Sssnakes: 'only a plus in our lives' (With video)

It’s World Snake Day Wednesday and if you get a chance to see one up close it might make it easier to join in the snake celebration.

“It’s really hard to be afraid of something when you’re looking at it eye to eye,” Ojibway Nature Centre education and outreach co-ordinator Karen Cedar said Monday.

“Even if you’re not touching the snake, when you see little kids touching them and you see that the snake’s not biting anybody … it’s kind of hard to hold on to the snakes-are-going-to-attack-me philosophy.”

Ojibway Nature Centre has a free event Wednesday to educate the public about snakes which includes presentations by Steve the Snake Guy, crafts for children, and hands-on experiences with snakes by Sciensational Sssnakes. Last year, about 400 people showed up for the first snake day event in what Cedar described as a huge love fest for snakes.

Why should I care about snakes?

Because they eat rodents and insects, snakes are very beneficial, Cedar said. Think less about bad movies like Snakes on a Plane and more about an eastern fox snake or the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake ridding your yard of disease-carrying mice. Cedar said snakes such as the northern brown snake and northern red-bellied snake eat slugs in your garden at night.

“They are only a plus in our lives.”

How many snakes do we have here?

There are about 10 kinds of native snakes left in the area, Cedar said. Six are considered species at risk including the Lake Erie water snake and blue racer which are both endangered and live on Pelee Island.

The rare ones in the Windsor area include:

* The endangered Butler’s garter snake is an elegant snake with a petite head and large eyes, Cedar said. “They’re very endearing.”

* The endangered queen snake is a water snake that eats crayfish. It will writhe, throw up on you or release a foul smell to get away.

* The threatened eastern Massasauga rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in Ontario and it is found in the LaSalle area. The population here is genetically different than the ones found around Georgian Bay, Cedar said. Even if it does bite in self-defence, it may not inject venom.

* The eastern fox snake is listed as threatened and is a “prince among snakes,” Cedar said because it eats mice and if it grows large enough (about six feet long) will eat rats too.

Other snakes found in the Windsor area include the eastern garter snake, the northern water snake, the northern red-bellied snake, and the northern brown snake.

What do I do if I see a snake?

Never try to pick up snakes. Don’t move them or kill them.

Cedar said enjoy looking at them and then back away. Snakes are very predictable and will want to move away from you, she said.

Most people don’t see snakes because the ones that live a long time stay away from humans. “Almost everyone in the city will have snakes in their backyard, whether or not they see them is a whole different thing.”

You likely have an eastern garter snake in your backyard but they vary so much they are difficult to identify. Cedar said they are supposed to have stripes but the stripes won’t always be the same and the snakes can range in color from lime green to dark brown.

How is Windsor celebrating World Snake Day?

Windsor’s second annual World Snake Day celebration and educational event is Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ojibway Nature Centre. The event is free and there are presentations by Steve the Snake Guy at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

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